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Squash in England

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{{Infobox sport overview

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| union = England Squash

| country = England

| sport = Squash

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| nationalteam = England men's national squash team

England women's national squash team

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Squash is a popular sport in England. There is a long history of the sport in the country with many highly ranked English players, both in men's and women's squash.{{cite web | url=https://psaworldtour.com/rankings/world_tour | title=PSA World Tour Rankings | publisher=The Professional Squash Association | accessdate=July 31, 2019 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144156/https://psaworldtour.com/rankings/world_tour | archivedate=June 12, 2018 |url-status=live }}

History of squash in England

England is where squash was invented. Students at Harrow School in London created it{{cite web|url=https://www.worldsquash.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/200401_History-of-Squash-Timeline.pdf|title=History of Squash Timeline |author=James Zug |publisher= World Squash |accessdate=14 April 2018}} in 1830 when they discovered the potential that a small, punctured rubber ball had for yielding a game where a variety of shots were possible.{{cite web|url=https://www.englandsquash.com/about-us/history-of-squash|title=History of squash|publisher=England Squash |accessdate=14 April 2018}} Originally played in alleys and courtyards, the first purpose-built squash court was erected in Oxford in 1883.

Professional competitions

Many professional squash competitions take place in England each year.

=PSA World Tour=

The PSA World Tour calendar includes many professional tournaments held in England every year. The most prestigious of these are the British Open Squash Championships (PSA150){{Cite web|url=http://britishopensquash.net/|title=Home|date=May 4, 2017}} and the Canary Wharf Squash Classic (PSA70).{{cite web|url=http://www.cwsquash.com/today.htm|title=Today at the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic|publisher=Canary Wharf Squash Classic|accessdate=14 April 2018}}

=Premier Squash League=

The Premier Squash League runs every year from October to April. Teams consist of four men and one woman. There are two geographical divions (North and South, formerly known as A and B) and towards the end of the season the top two clubs from each division progress to the semi-finals.{{cite web|url=http://www.pslsquash.com/|title=Premier Squash League |publisher=Premier Squash League|accessdate=14 April 2018}}

Top players

File:Lee Beachill US Open (cropped).jpg]]

File:Nick Matthew 2017.jpg]]

File:James Willstrop 2017.jpg]]

File:Laura Massaro.jpg]]

English squash players have been known to dominate the world rankings.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/squash/8701685.stm|title=Why England leads squash world|date=1 June 2010|website=BBC Sport |author=Curtis, Claire |accessdate=14 April 2018|via=}}

=World number ones=

England has produced several world number ones:

=Highest ranked players=

In April 2018,{{needs update|date=March 2023}} the highest ranked English squash players were:

National teams

England has national men's and women's teams that represent the country in international competitions.

Commonwealth Games

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England players compete in the squash events of the Commonwealth Games, which are held every four years. At the 2018 games, English players James Willstrop and Sarah-Jane Perry won gold in the men's singles event and silver in the women's singles event respectively.{{cite web|url=http://cwgsquash.net/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706183128/http://cwgsquash.net/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 July 2014|title=Commonwealth Games Squash 2018|website=Commonwealth Games Squash 2018|accessdate=14 April 2018}}

Governance

Squash in England is governed by England Squash.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/recognised_sports.aspx|title= Which sports do we recognise?|date=20 May 2013|publisher=Sport England|accessdate=14 April 2018|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520041023/http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/recognised_sports.aspx|archivedate=20 May 2013}}

Amateur level

At amateur level, each county in England has its own league with several divisions, where clubs affiliated to the county enter one or more teams. In 2010, Sport England statistics showed that 500,000 people regularly played squash in England, with 900 affiliated clubs and 4,500 squash courts across the country. The National Schools Championships was established in 1972 and has about 100 schools participating.

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Squash by country}}